Just Write

My NaNoWriMo novels
Yesterday someone in the NaNoWriMo Facebook group linked to a post that basically said that while everyone is supposed to have a story inside them, it doesn’t mean it has to be written.

Spare the world your story because the world doesn’t need it – basically that’s my take on the article that I could only scan through because it made me gag.

It makes me wonder how anyone can tell someone such a thing to their face, but at the same time, welcome to the world of clickbait and the new wave of publishing where the reader has more power than ever before, even to the point of telling you that the world doesn’t need your story. Or your poem. Or your essay.

I don’t know about you but I only have three words to say to whoever that pompous reader was: I’m writing anyway.

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6 thoughts on “Just Write”

Best post I’ve read all day – yours of course, not the one you talk about. A few months ago I was a nervous writer, struggling with putting anything I’d written out there for people to read. Even to those closest to me.
It’s through positive encouragement and critical advice that I’ve progressed and gained confidence and now I’m not looking back.
It makes you wonder how many potential greats could have been put off ever starting by reading such trash.

So glad you’re writing! And never look back! I quit writing for 10 years and went back to it when I started this blog with my poetry. And I’m a much happier person for writing again even if I may only get a handful of people who love my stories.

I like what you said. I personally believe that if one wants to share their story–they must, because there are always people out there who will read one’s story and find value in it. For those who say don’t write, they should be ignored–the one who should ultimately decide whether they want to write or share their story is the writer.

Writing in spite of such ugliness is the best response indeed. I’m not clear if that was directed at you or shared from being directed at someone else. Either way though, it’s mortifying that someone would think it was okay to even say that to anyone. There are many on NaNoWriMo writing for the first time ever. A comment like that could devastate the process…or fuel it. I never got anything like that the first time, but trust me I’d be sure they’d never forget that they had said it to ME! 😉 God speed to your next writing adventure and success with NaNoWriMo!

It was something someone posted on the FB Nanowrimo board, and it linked to an article from some website like mashable or buzzfeed (but not those two) and it made me think, just like you said, it can either devastate the process or fuel it. And for novices, or those without support in their private lives, it’s probably going to do the former more than the latter. I’m not doing well with my Nano word count but I am releasing a new novel on Dec 15, so not making that word count won’t feel too terrible LOL This whole writing thing involves more marketing than the actual writing that it actually made sense when Neil Gaiman said he was retiring from doing public appearances so he could be a writer.